Seeking answers, pols go to Russia

Hillary Chabot, Matt StoutTuesday, April 23, 2013

Credit: Associated Press

House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct ranking member Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

U.S. Rep. William Keating is heading to Moscow with other members of Congress to get answers about Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was flagged by Russian officials to the FBI in 2011, and to learn more about Chechen terrorist threats.

“I’m concerned about getting the facts. Let’s find out what they were told,” Keating told the Herald yesterday about the FBI investigation. “Let’s find out what happened, and let’s find out if there’s a way to change procedures, if there was something that could have been done so it doesn’t happen again.”

He said he expects to be briefed “in great specifics” on the latest in the bombing investigation once he returns to Washington, D.C., today. He also said the trip to Russia will detail any continued terror threat from Chechnya.

“We’d like to get their viewpoint in terms of what the threats are, how great they are, their view on how we approached that,” Keating said.

The plans for a trip come as federal Homeland Defense and National Intelligence officials ignored a letter yesterday from Homeland Security Committee chairman and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) asking for all the records connected to the FBI’s 2011 investigation into Tsarnaev.

“I haven’t received anything so far,” said U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) yesterday, who co-wrote the letter with McCaul.

The FBI investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011 after Russia suggested that the Cambridge resident may be a radical Islam follower. The agency probed his phone records, Internet activity and associates, yet said they found no threat.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also told reporters yesterday that airline officials spelled Tsarnaev’s name wrong when he returned to Russia, which is why FBI alerts weren’t triggered.

U.S. Rep. Michael E. Capuano said he expects both the FBI and Congress to have questions about the investigation.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that there will be lessons learned,” said Capuano, who emphasized that he’s still focused on the victims and businesses suffering from the attacks.

The issue loomed large over the Senate special election debate last night, in which U.S. Reps. Stephen F. Lynch and Edward J. Markey clashed over their voting records to protect Bay State residents from terror.